(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacture of a composite or compound material and more particularly to a simple and highly advantageous sintering process for producing a glass-ceramic composite material, to such a composite material, and to the method of using it more particularly in medico-engineering, such as for osteosynthesis.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
It is known that glass-ceramic materials which contain apatite crystallites can be used as bone replacement materials. However, such a glass-ceramic material has the disadvantage that it must be manufactured via a melt. Furthermore, useful glass ceramics for said special purpose of use are obtained only by starting with certain exactly defined components of the starting mixture in exactly predetermined amounts thereof.